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If you were to start all over again, what would you pursue and why?

The title basically says it all. What would you do differently if you were freshly out of school today versus back when you started your career if your goal was just to make as much money or be successful as possible? Curious to hear from people on WSO who are further along in their career then most.

Comments (210)

I'd probably go for being a Connect 4 champion. Not just to gain local fame and dominance in bar games and bar chicks, but to discover what it truly means to connect four.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

I was a first gen-student at any ivy league school, and I didn't even understand what the difference between hedge funds, IB's, PE were, or how/when they recruited at my campus. I guess that's what happens when your parents didn't attend college and were poor lol. I wish I knew all the shit I know now when I was a college freshmen back in the days.

Because people on here want to believe you didn't make it and they did because they're better than you. Something something personal responsibility something something started from the bottom now I'm here.

I was a practicing MD (medical doctor), did a rotation in Forensic Pathology with a Coroner many years back. The job gets old pretty fast. Being surrounded by dead bodies, and then cutting them open for an autopsy, is not something I'd want to do for rest of my life. However, a rotation there does give you a perspective on life.

have a few, one that comes to mind: lived near Shanghai after graduation (2005-06), entrepreneur opportunities seemed wide wide open back. we started a business teaching business-english at companies for ~30/hr, couldve scaled that easily imo, no one was doing anything similar in my city at the time

yeah it was easy easy money back then, but I wasn't ready, no regrets. not sure what the environment is like now, and i'm sure there are other countries with this type of potential (eg Myanmar) just depends on your willingness to hunt it down

Lol I sold fake IDs in high school and a few years I had a few bitcoins when they were trading at like 200-250 a coin. I sold them all thinking my few thousand profit was amazing. If I'd only held on for a few years......

See @AndyLouis , had this confused Vietnamese user learnt how to speak English, we would have had another "amazing" contributor to this forum.

GoldenCinderblock: "I keep spending all my money on exotic fish so my armor sucks. Is it possible to romance multiple females? I got with the blue chick so far but I am also interested in the electronic chick and the face mask chick."

Graduated in Electrical Engineering first and always wanted to work around my passion - cars, trucks, motorcycles or anything like that. After IBD I had a few years in the automotive industry but ended up back in finance.

My other interest area would've been casino, hospitality and gaming (innovation). Needless to say that opportunities in this space are rare and very much depending on the region.

Assuming money weren't an object I would have loved to get a PHD in clinical psychology to become a clinical psychologist. Unfortunately I couldn't imagine asking my parents for 4 more years worth of financial support until I could collect a grad degree and start working a paid job.

My old professor did that for years (he sold mobile technology and patents to large blue-chips in the 1990s/2000s) - it is very lucrative but also low-stress. Also not very competitive because you are one of the few in your area of work.

Probably would've been an Econ, IT, or management major. Finance dept is dog shit at my school lol. From a curriculum standpoint it really makes no difference considering you can learn everything you need from Rosenbaum, WSP, WSO, etc. I still would've ended up in the same spot. Accounting is really overkill outside of the major courses relevant to finance. I'd probably have more fun with the non-finance students. Finance students here are weird hardos who think frats will get their low gpa and zero experience to GSIBD or something even more difficult like HF/PE.

I would have put more effort towards figuring out what I wanted to do in life while I was in school. I pretty much just focused on grades and having fun without networking and working on career stuff. I kind of 'woke up' after starting work. My friends at school were all non-finance majors so I didn't think much about my career in finance, and I regret not putting more time in

I know a lot of people end up going to CC before and then transferring into good schools, but do you need more than just stellar grades? I'd imagine you'd need to do something else to stand out from other applicants, but idk what sorts of extracurriculars CCs offer.

Oh shit this one hits me spot on! I've been having regrets lately. I'm 23 years old and ~2 yrs out of college, had a stint as FX Trader in Int'l Treasury. Graduated at 20 since we start early here. I didn't have my head in the game so I burned out and resigned. Now I realized I wanna be in IB but even though I'm from a target school my grades are not stellar - GPA 2.9. and how I fucking wish I could go back to college, set my academics straight, practice financial modeling and making pitch books, network like hell and get IB internships.

I was actually interviewed in a boutique IB here back in college but I wasn't dead set so I didn't actively follow up or anything and just took another non-related internship offered to me. It's not to late but I got a lot of catching up to do. Shit

Assuming I retain full knowledge of my career to date, and can re-start now, in 2017?

I'd return to school - either primary or secondary - and get my dyslexia diagnosis as a child, rather than as a 44 year old career changer.

This would get me the support I need to excel in my favourite subject (mathematics) instead of washing out with an average grade. I'd then do a BSc in Mathematics, possibly with a Cognitive Science minor/elective to harness my interest in psychology and computer science (this was possible only by a long and twisted route of MSc.s in the 1990s). Then I'd go straight into a neuroscience PhD, probably specialising in neuroinformatics (which pretty much didn't exist until after I had completed my PhD and begun post-doctoral work).

I'd be doing post-doctoral research at about 24 instead of 30, and - because I'd have got the support I needed for dyslexia - I'd have had a work-life balance instead of spending 100+hrs per week in my underground lab, painfully working through the mathematical side of my research, to the detriment of my health. As a result, I might have had a social life in my 20s and 30s, and probably wouldn't have been an elderly prima at 39 - and my one-and-only babe might have had the brother or sister he longs for.

Huge, major changes. I might even still be doing research, instead of being disabled.

If you could start over... - What would you do differently? (Originally Posted: 07/28/2010)

If you could start over, right from the 9th grade, what would you do differently?

Would you still go into your career in banking/consulting/finance - and if so, what kind of decisions would you make to maximize your chances and set yourself up for the future?

I understand that a lot of efforts begin early, and an early start gives a HUGE advantage to students who start off knowing what they want to do. If you were to have another chance, or the opportunity to talk to yourself when you were just beginning high school, what advice would you have for the younger you?

Might help if you describe your current background as well.

I've done fairly well, but I know there's certainly a lot of things I would change in retrospect - for starters, determining a major earlier, reaching out for work opportunities, and working my ass off (as the benefits of partying diminish very quickly).

High School:-I would have picked one of my two HS sports to do and done only that one. I was good at both of them but never truly spectacular at either. Furthermore, they both killed a ton of my time.-With the new found time from quitting one of my sports, I would have studied way more.-I would have taken the SAT one more time.-I would have volunteered more.-I would have tried to get a summer internship at my Dad's AM firm.

-I would have petitioned one of the schools that denied me and gone to a better University.

First year of Undergrad:-I would have taken a few econ/accounting classes sooner.-I wouldn't have worked at a Law Firm or a non-profit the summer after first year.

Second year of Undergrad:-I would have done better. Taken a couple classes more seriously, etc.

"If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars." - J. Paul Getty

I wouldn't have been a huge jerk to the hottie who I could have gotten with. I would have done homework. I wouldn't have broken a girl's heart junior year, as I'm stuck in the friend zone now. I would have hit up the CEO of an MM that went to the same HS/ Country Club for an internship. I would have hooked up with the 2 MILFs at said country club rather than being conscientious.

I would've tried, actually done homework, and probably finished top 10 overall in my class if I gave any effort. I was lazy and finished top 10% but not that high at all. Oh yea, then I would go to a target school instead of this current non-target.

I would of gone out with this girl who I later found out was a virgin at the time she liked me. She later lost her virginity to her next boyfriend. The best part of it all would of been 4 years later interviewing with her dad at a financial advisory firm before I actually knew what they did there.

I would of tried to convince my parents to send me to a top notch prep school.

I would of gone out with this girl who I later found out was a virgin at the time she liked me. She later lost her virginity to her next boyfriend. The best part of it all would of been 4 years later interviewing with her dad at a financial advisory firm before I actually knew what they did there.

You would have dated her solely because she was a virgin? What was wrong with her when you didn't know that she was a virgin?

I had a pretty dazed and confused type of high school - no question it shaped who I am, and I've had a great time from hs to college. Prob would have gone to a bigger party school for college - but ive done pretty damn well career wise so i cant complain (and I got a huge scholarship, so debt free living in nyc now)

Kids - banking will always be here for you - your youth and period of carelessness will not. When I was an intern, I had every miserable associate and VP tell me how lucky i was to go back to college for a year. When I went into M&A full time - the only times I felt good were when I thought about the fun I had in high school and college.

No job, degree, salary can seriously replace the fun, carelessness, recklessness and joy of being in high school. The shenanigans I pulled and insane stuff (for a 17 year old) is priceless - and most importantly, those experiences shape who you are later in life.

For the record - in one of my interviews, an MD asked me what was the craziest thing I had ever done. Story about some absurd high school prank had him in tears laughing - offer shortly after.

-I would have done all my homework in HS to get all A's since most of our grades came from it and I never did any of it.-I should have banged the teacher that asked me out to dinner.-I wish I took all my engineering courses at an acredited school, never thought I'd be persuing finance until I got a partner position at a Mechanical company and realized I wanted way more.

Tell parents to send me to a prep high school that places well into top universitiesKnow about the field of consulting or finance in high schoolStudy hard in high school and go to a target univ on a scholarship, grants, minimized loansMajor in economics/financeGraduate with no student loan debtMeet more girls

-Stuck to my internet business instead of selling it for a couple thousand bucks back in the 10th grade. The guy who owns it now is rolling in dough...that piece of shit. I wouldn't even need to be in I-Banking now (probably wouldn't even be working at all).

-Volunteered more during all that free time

-Taking up a major that I would have found enjoyable (Astrophysics, history, philosophy, etc..) instead of finance

Stuck to my internet business instead of selling it for a couple thousand bucks back in the 10th grade. The guy who owns it now is rolling in dough...that piece of shit. I wouldn't even need to be in I-Banking now (probably wouldn't even be working at all).

This is probably the only regret-worthy thing I've read in this whole thread (well, apart from the condom thing...but that's just plain stupid too). Guys posting about not going to HYP or getting average grades - you do realize 95% of the population regrets not being in your position, yea?

Established stronger bonds with my buddiesMade more female friendsMore strategic in my dating selectionTake 9 hours a semester in college instead of 15 hoursPlay more basketball, spend less time just lounging aroundTake boxing lessons

Seems like the general consensus is getting grades and banging broads... I'll have to dissent and say there were two girls I'd really liked to have to settled down with. That being said, there's a ton of experiences that have shaped who I am and none I truly regret - though it's difficult to say except in the very long run.

What would you major in if you could go back? (Originally Posted: 10/23/2017)

If you had to redo undergrad, what would you major in? I'm interested in banking or consulting and am planning on studying finance but I also like econ, history, stat, and math. However, some of these are more practical than others.

So what would you study if you could do it all over again? Most versatile degree?

It really just depends on where you want to get hired. I am in the least quant degree imaginable (interdisciplinary liberal arts) and I received an offer for an internship within a BBIBD. If you're smart and they like you, the BB will train you.

Just some food for thought so you don't get locked into something you don't like

being an econ major at my school is like taking upper-level math classes, and i knew i wouldn't get a good GPA in it once i started taking departmental courses. so i'm majoring in english and getting a good GPA, playing to my strengths. if it were offered at my university, i would have considered majoring in business or finance.

i will say that i have no regrets about majoring in english though. definitely made me a more interesting, introspective, thoughtful person than i was before, and i think i'm better at communication.

Assuming I could have gotten into an Ivy, I would have majored in either English or history.

sounds suuuuper boring I don't know how people do that stuff

then again my dad studied english at an Ivy, but redeemed himself by playing football there and becoming a Navy Pilot

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

I might have just started a nice sports bar and grill in Chicago or a suburb. A few times now I've said something about the lack of a good place to go in a specific area and sure enough, each time a place has come in and been very successful. Plus, I know its not all glitz and glamor, but I'd love to have a place to call mine and be able to enjoy a nice cash flow from a successful place.

I know it's not too late, but with a wife, house and good salary I'm getting pretty risk averse these days.

Otherwise, I would've networked a lot more and pushed my own boundaries.

I would have gone to an Ivy league college and then military OCS. I took the advice of people I liked but didn't really respect and became one of them: I wasted the period of life from 17-26. Never again will I let anyone make ANY decision for me, or choose a relationship over my own development.

I would have gone to an Ivy league college and then military OCS. I took the advice of people I liked but didn't really respect and became one of them: I wasted the period of life from 17-26. Never again will I let anyone make ANY decision for me, or choose a relationship over my own development.

I would have gone to an Ivy league college and then military OCS. I took the advice of people I liked but didn't really respect and became one of them: I wasted the period of life from 17-26. Never again will I let anyone make ANY decision for me, or choose a relationship over my own development.

I would have gone to an Ivy league college and then military OCS. I took the advice of people I liked but didn't really respect and became one of them: I wasted the period of life from 17-26. Never again will I let anyone make ANY decision for me, or choose a relationship over my own development.

Funny, I would have done pretty much the exact same thing. I didn't want to go to college at all in high school, so I never had a really remarkable GPA or high SAT scores. I would redo high school, get killer grades, go to a top university, 4 years in the military, and then apply to MBA programs. I'm still considering OCS, but I'm a lot more unsure now since I'd be almost 31 when I finished b-school if I go that route.

I am still an undergraduate student, but if I could do everything over again, I would get my head together in high school and make sure I get into a target. My problem was not that I was not intelligent enough, it was more so me not knowing anything of the real world. I would also make sure to find this website a lot earlier than I did.

The bottom line is that you can't "start all over again and do something differently." All you can do is change now.

I completely understand where you are coming from though, because I've definitely thought about this question (I mean hindsight is, well, 20/20). I'm just saying it's an unhealthy road to travel and only detracts from your current pursuits.

The bottom line is that you can't "start all over again and do something differently." All you can do is change now.

I completely understand where you are coming from though, because I've definitely thought about this question (I mean hindsight is, well, 20/20). I'm just saying it's an unhealthy road to travel and only detracts from your current pursuits.

I am NOT travelling this road NOR am I dwelling too much. Once in a while, I do think about it, so I was just thinking what other people think.

I wouldn't change a thing. Went to a CUNY school and graduated with no debt, in fact 5k in my bank, got a job immediately, then got a wall street offer and I've been here for 5+ years now. Alhamdulillah.

If you were to start all over again, what would you have done differently in college or jobs or relationships or whatever?

Honestly? I would have gone to a strong, public, in-state liberal arts school like UVa or the College of William & Mary and opted for 1 of 2 paths:

1) Would have majored in history and anthropology and become a history professor2) Would have majored in history and political science and gone to law school to become a real estate attorney or a corporate lawyer

My strengths are in the "left side" of the brain stuff but for some reason opted for a mathematics heavy direction and now I do stuff in that. It is what it is...

If you could start your career all over, what would you do? (Originally Posted: 10/22/2013)

So I am about to graduate college this spring and I was just wondering for those already in a career, what would you do differently? What area of finance/banking would you want to get into after the experiences you have now?

I would probably go into some form of engineering instead of banking because it seems like there is such a strong demand for those skills these days. I don't know much about the pay scale but I imagine it can be pretty good.

I would have focused more on what company I would have wanted to be with for a few years as opposed to opting for a few extra thousand while knowing I was going to hate the firm and jumping ship early. Money is alot but it isn't everything about a job. Funny to be making that statement on this board.

Stronger internships and better networking. I had a few strong finance related internships but they weren't in the area I was targeting post graduation. I also didn't understand the value of networking until after I graduated. Basically, I wish I was aware of this site back when I was in college.

I'm a Big 4 auditor, so obviously, I would have tried to do consulting out of undergrad. But this is the proverbial rabbit hole, because to do that I would have had to go about college differently, which means getting into a different one, which means doing high school/volunteer work differently, which means likely erasing and rewriting a lot of what makes me who I am.

I'm a Big 4 auditor, so obviously, I would have tried to do consulting out of undergrad. But this is the proverbial rabbit hole, because to do that I would have had to go about college differently, which means getting into a different one, which means doing high school/volunteer work differently, which means likely erasing and rewriting a lot of what makes me who I am.

This is depressing...Big 4 auditor isn't so terrible in the grand scheme of things man.

I never really thought about this. Of course I wish that I was much more applied in high school and early college as well, but the experiences I had have made me who I am today, and I like who i am today. So that comment really made me think..

I would have also liked to take the entrepreneurial route to the top rather than finance. I still want to start a HF one day but that's not typically something you can do while you're young and most people that start HF's are rich by other means before they started. I'm talking about the feel good stories about the guy that dropped out of high school and and is now worth $10+ million from a business he built with his own hands. Think house flipper, construction, etc.

I wish I knew what I wanted to do about 1.5yr earlier so I would've prepared better, hit fewer bumps along the way and stressed a little bit less. I have to admit, though, that I made it as far as I wanted to so these are just "minor nits", as they say.

Seriously, though... I would've worked harder in school. You know how they always say your GPA doesn't matter or it only counts for that first job and after that everyone only cares about your performance?

Go out more than I did during training. I remember coming in kind of nervous wanting to impress and not going out as much as I could have. Granted, I still went out 2-3 times a week but there were times I held back/said no 'cause I was worried about this or that assignment or thing we had to do the next day. In reality, no one really gave a crap as to how we did in training (as long as you weren't failing the tasks).

Gone to one of the top targets H/W and tried to enter the buyside post undergrad as a MFPE analyst. I would have been so glad I would have skipped IB be4 finally landing a role of my choice at a MMpe firm.

I am graduating in the spring as well and landed a job at a top boutique. While I always worked extremely hard in school towards keeping a high GPA, I certainly took the time to "explore" other career paths before deciding that I wanted to do IBD. My route went from pre-med to accounting and then to IBD. I had a Big 4 internship which I absolutely hated and then had an IBD internship which I absolutely loved. It is easy to look back and say that you wish you had focused more in one area but I believe that is was very beneficial for me to explore multiple career options and I think that current and future undergrad students should as well. I am genuinely excited about the place I will be working knowing that I have had multiple work experiences and was able to evaluate each one based on past experiences.

I would agree with what everyone else said about having a good GPA, maintaining a strong network, and using this site as it has certainly been an asset in determining my career path. My advice for younger undergrad students is to explore any career interests that you might have while in undergrad because this is the easiest time to do so in your life and it is also the time when changing your mind creates the smallest setback. No matter what you think your career path will be in undergrad, strive towards a strong GPA from the first day you get to school and also develop a network as early as possible and start developing relationships with people that can boost your career.

I wish I figured out what I wanted to do earlier and had a clear focus from the beginning.I wasted a shit ton of time exploring majors that I wasn't interested in at all. However,mistakes like these make memore aware of the choices I make now so I avoid doing something that I will regret in the future.